Newbz'z group is FULL!!!!!! (Page 2)

David, 

I started Weight Watchers in sept '06 at 322. I lost about 42 by Jan '07 and for the next year I put about 22 back on. In Jan '08 I said enough is enough. I lost the weight I gained back and lost a few more and now I'm about 2 from the 50 pound mark. Only 50 more to go!

 I played soccer in high school and played "semi-pro" football from 94-98

 My training so far has been strength training and cardio  3x/week since mid jan, "swimming" for 30 minutes twice a week, started walk/running 3/3 today. (My swimming is actually a half lap at a time separated by long periods of rest, if you can call that swimming.)

I also have a personal trainer but I'm not sure if the program I'm on is what is best for me. Should I focus on my weak points (running and swimming) with some light weight training or should i go with more traditional training for a Tri?  

At first I thought I would be able to complete the swim and just be tired but with each passing week I get more nervous and wonder at what point the nice men on the jet skis will be rescuing me. Maybe I should shoot for doing 5 laps without stopping (about half the race swim)and if I'm able to do more than that before the race then it's a bonus. I appreciate any advice you can give me.

 My race is the Timberman Sprint in Gilford NH on Aug 16

 Thanks , Mike

Hello Dave and company. I would like to join up and learn some new stuff!

Name: Scott Meador

Age: 35

Serial number: None

Rank:  None

Location: Watauga, TX (North side of Fort Worth)

Occupation: Programmer

Family Status: Married 2 years - no kiddos yet, so I just play with he nephew!

Short bio: For many years I allowed my weight to yo-yo. In January of 2007 my wife and I joined up with a programming at a local running store. I spent most of my time walking more than running, as I had not ran since college. We concentrated on 5ks with hill and track work.

   In June 2007 I began my journey into Half-Marathons using a program from the same running store. Well, in December 2007 I finished by first half-mary @ the Dallas Whiterock. I have since completed two more and PRed in both!

   At this point I began to get the itch to do a little more, since I love to swim and bike too. So, In January of this year I decided to train for my first Tri, which I completed on March 15th. I did my second triy this past weekend and had a blast.

   My boss completed IMAZ a few weeks ago and now I see an ambitious goal for myself in doing the same race in 2010.

2008 Races:

St. Patricks Day Tri - Done

Old College Tri - Done

Lifetime Fitness Indoor Tri - May 18

Tumbleweed Tri - July 27

Tri The Rock - August 23

Hi-Fi Tri - October 25 - First OWS!

Dallas Whiterock Marathon - Begin training on June 14.

Weightloss: 50lbs since June 2007. 40-50 more to go.

 OK, I know this will seem minute to the more experienced athletes here but I breaststroked 2 laps tonight without huffing and puffing and I'm sure I could have cranked out a third.  (Previously I was huffing and puffing after just one lap)

I have been taking swimming technique lessons since late March and I'm sure I'll able to swim half the race distance by the end of the class in late May and I'm confident that I'll be able to swim 3/4 of the race distance by race day, and that's fine with me.                                     Just yesterday I was doubting I would finish the swim at all.

 Thanks for the help so far David. I'm sure I'll have some more questions in the future

Hey Greg, 

 I found an inexpensive wetsuit online @     www.123scuba.com   It is a Henderson 3mm front zip shorty. As with most things you get what you pay for so I don't expect a high quality suit but I don't want to be cold during the race and I can't practice in a suit that I rent that weekend so I think I'm gonna try out this Henderson and see what happens. It's less than $150, but I'd rather spend that and only use it a few times. Good luck. Let us know what you end up getting.

 Mike

Ok, let me get this straight...6 Triathlons and let's throw in a marathon just for shiggles? 

 God bless you Scott! That's awesome man! 

 I fully expect to enjoy the triathlon experience and do more than one race next year but this year I want to make sure I can finish one first. 

 What were your times/standings for the 2 Tri's you've already done? (Is that too personal a question?) What's an IMAZ? Did you run competitively in college?

 I'm not sure about anyone else but I'd be interested in hearing how you do in your upcoming races also. Best of luck in your future races!

 Mike

 I am right with you guys on the wetsuit/ swim thing. I can run a 5k and I ride my mountain bike everywhere I need to go out here. I am trying to substitute riding in sand for hill work since there are no real hills here. I try to stay in high gear as much as possible especially riding into the wind.

Body glove has wetsuits for under $100.00. I am going to try to get one shipped out here so I can use it in the pool one day a week to be used to it. I know the lakes will be pretty chilly in Washington when I get back stateside. Do any of you have suggestions on what I should work on in the pool. I know my mechanics are shot, I haven't worried about anything like that since Freshman year of High School. That was 17 years ago. I emailed a rescue swimmer I know but haven't heard anything back so let me know what you think.

Hi David,

Hope you can still fit me in.  I've been running for 2 years (i'm one of the back of packers).  I started running to lose weight and lost 41 pounds but still have about 20 more to go.  I've done a 5k, three 10ks and one half.  

I live on a navy base in Japan that sponsored a sprint triathlon a few weeks ago and now it's all I can think about.  So I started Monday following one of the training plans here on BT.  I don't have a race that I am training for, just following a plan to see if I can get through it and do an indoor sprint triathlon on my own and hopefully drop these last 20 pounds.

I did my first swim today, which was my first time swimming in about 5 years and it almost killed me.  I had to alternate 100m breast stroke and 100m with a kick board.

 I'm looking forward to learning a lot!!

Thanks

Brena

Hi David (and everyone else). If you still have room I'd like to join this group too.

Name: Scott Moody

Family Status: Married (to a VERY supportive wife) with two greyhounds

Age: Just turned 30

Height/Weight: 6'5" / 203-207 lbs (fluctuating and not sure what to do about it)

Current Training: since December I've been training 6-7 days a week in all three disciplines for short distances. I try to hit each sport twice a week but life sometimes happens. Usually a 800m endurance workout on swim days, a 5-mile distance workout or 5k speed workout on run days, and a short individual ride or a 30-mile "A" group ride with my bike club on bike days. Will start marathon training at the end on June (prerequisite... comfortable 10 miles)

Past Races: General Smallwood Sprint Triathlon, several 5 and 10k's

2008 Races:

• (4/27) Port to Fort 6k - 27:30
  
• (5/3) Smith Mountain Lake Sprint
• (6/1) Cascade Lake Sprint
• (7/27) New Jersey State Sprint
• (8/17) Northeast Sprint
• (9/7) Annapolis Olympic
• (10/26) Marine Corp Marathon

Training/Performance Goals: Develop my swim technique. As of July 2007 I had never swam a lap in my life and I had to take adult swim lessons just to swim freestyle. I've come a long way but I can get a lot better. Incorporate more bricks into my training. Develop a moderate distance training plan for my first olympic distance tri. Just complete the marathon!

Background: I've always played team sports but this is the first individual sport I've attempted. I started smoking in college and got out of shape although I still managed to play lacrosse. I started coaching high school lacrosse after college and felt like a hypocrite so, with a lot of help from my wife, I successfully quit smoking on March 1, 2003. That year I completed a 50 mile walk for MS but injured my knee so I took up cycling. I completed four, 150 mile rides for MS and had just completed one when I ran into a buddy from college. Over a few drinks he told me about his training for the Chesapeake Ultra-Man and I marveled at that. WOW! I thought. I knew he had been running marathons for a couple years now but a triathlon and an Ironman no less? That's when he told me that there shorter distance triathlons called sprints. When I got home that night I signed up for my first sprint, rented my wetsuit and started training.

As I mentioned above, I had to sign up for adult BASIC swim lessons, which my wife generously signed up for as well so I would not feel silly. That was early July. By early August I was regularly swimming an 800 yard workout a couple times a week. Now it was time to focus on the run. I had a bum knee but received some advice on strengthening my hammies and it worked. My quads were stronger than my hammies due to the bike and once I started to balance that out I began to feel better. I went from a painful 1-mile run to running a 5k with ease. The bike was my strong point so I stayed steady with that and focused on the other two. It all paid off and I finished my firs tri last September. I trained for the middle of the pack based on the 2006 times but it was a faster field in 2007. Even though I finished in the bottom half, I finished, and I exceeded my goals. I even finished really close to the top half on the bike.

Needless to say... I'M HOOKED! I thanked my buddy on the way home from that race. This year I convinced another friend to do his first at SML this weekend. Can't wait.

That was a lengthy intro but I am looking forward to this mentor program, learning a ton, talking with others and working towards my 1st olympic tri and my first marathon.

The store is going to get you the best fit but i did have a good online experience. 

I had a good experience with promotion (www.wetsuit.com ) and they offer a BT discount.  I speant days talking with them via email about which size of their suits would fit me best.  They very specifically asked me for my exact measurements and finally recommended the Large, Tall... not the one I would have picked from their sizing chart.  Sure enough it fits great.  They made sure I was taking real measurements and not just giving them my jacket and/or pant size.